Basket.



A. A. STYBRS. BASKET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1907.

904,026. Patented Nov. 17,1908.

n4: nomus PETERS Cm, WASMINGIDN, n. c.

ABRAHAM A. STYERS, OF GLEMMONS, NORTH CAROLINA.

BASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Application filed April 25, 1907. Serial No. 370,314.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM A. STYERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clemmons, in the county of Forsyth and State of NorthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baskets;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to baskets, and particularly to baskets designedfrom their formation for use in the picking and handling of tobaccoleaves.

An object of the invention is to provide a basket of the class embodyingimproved trussing and staying means, and improved form of hoop or rimabout the edge.

Vith these and other objects in view the invention comprises certainnovel construetions, combinations and arrangements of parts, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 a bottom plan view of the improved basket.Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view of the improved basket shown ininverted position and taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

The improved basket forming the subjectmatter of this applicationcomprises a rim 10 provided with a groove or furrow 11 within which saidfurrow are inserted the ends, as 12, of a plurality of transverse hoopsor splits 13 interwoven after the usual method of basket manufacture.

The ends 12 of the splits inserted within the single rim 10 are securedin any approved manner as by means of nails or rivets 1 f driven orotherwise inserted through the sides of the rim spaced upon oppositesides of the furrow and through the extremities of the said splits.

The corners of the rim 12 are preferably rounded as at 15 and from saidcorners diagonal braces 16 extend upon the exterior or bottom surface ofthe basket while similar braces 17 extend diagonally from corner tocorner within the basket.

To further strengthen the parts of the basket subjected to the greateststrain, and particularly the hand holds 19, auxiliary strips 13 areinterwoven between the two outer splits 13 with their ends engagedwithin the furrow 11 in the manner similar to the splits 13 so that theouter edge of the basket is reinforced entirely around.

Particular stress is laid upon the formation of the rim with the groove11 therein, as by its employment, the rim of the basket is integralpresenting a comparatively smooth surface to the hand of the operatorand to tear the leaves of the tobacco to a minimum degree. Stress isalso laid upon the reinforcing or auxiliary split 13 by which the edgesof the basket and the hand-holds are reinforced and. strengthenedwithout changing the general nature of the open-work features of thebasket.

\Vhile the rim 10 is shown in Fig. 2 as beveled to be narrower at thetop, it is to be understood that such feature may be varied as founddesirable to make the rim with parallel sides or even wider at the topthan at the bottom.

The splits employed in the manufacture of this basket are first rivedfrom any suitable wood, splitting the splits with the grain of the woodand then shaving and drawingthem down to the proper size and thickness,thus making a split which will not crack in bending owing to being madein accordance with the grain of the wood and a safer and more durablebasket than is produced when the splits are sawed in some places againstthe grain, which is the general practice.

lVhat I claim is z--- 1. In a basket, a rim provided with a furrow,splits having their opposite ends inserted in the furrow and extendingtransversely across the basket, and brace splits secured at their endsto the rim and extending diagonally across the basket above and belowthe first mentioned splits.

2. In a basket, a rim provided with a furrow, splits having theiropposite ends inserted in the furrow and extending transversely acrossthe basket, and brace splits secured at their ends to the sides of therim and extending diagonally of the basket and above and below the firstmentioned splits.

3. In a basket, a rim, splits secured at. their ends to the rim andextending transversely of the basket, certain of the strips J havingtheir ends terminated short of the rim and secured to intersecting onesof the splits so as to afford hand-holds, and auxiliary splits securedin place between the outer pair of the said intersecting splits at eachside of the basket.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ABRAHAM A. sTY'ERsi lVitnesses i JOSEPH E.- ALEXANDER, JOHN XV HALL

